But Bradley, a Republican, said there was nothing improper about his use of the car. He contends it saved taxpayer money.

"They're just playing pure politics," Bradley said of the questions and criticisms voiced by Democratic members of the Legislative Finance Committee.

The car is a 1993 Ford with 114,000 miles on it. The dashboard and windshield are cracked. The car has no police equipment.

Rep. Luciano "Lucky" Varela, D-Santa Fe, questioned whether it was legal for Bradley to have his personalized license plates - the same kind used by legislators - on the car. Senate Majority Leader Tim Jennings, D-Roswell, objected that Bradley had the car.

State Police Chief Frank Taylor, who is acting secretary of the Department of Public Safety, said the car was part of a pool of older vehicles for staff and "plain clothes" state police at the agency.

"It was not something we took away from patrol (officers)," Taylor said.

Bradley, in a telephone interview, said the car legally had the "Lt. Gov." license plate because the registration was changed to match the plate. He used the car for about six months to attend meetings around the state.

"I park it on weekends. I use my personnel car for personal business," Bradley said.

In the past, he used his personal car for official business and was reimbursed for mileage. But it's cheaper, he said, to use the state car.